Portable crane



(No Model.)

C. H.A KING.

PURTABLE CRANE.

Patented July 11, 1893.

Illu M I. allora@ l UNITED STATES NPATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. KING, OF JESUP, IOWA.

PORTABLE CRAN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 501,147, dated July 1'1, 1893.

Application filed July 9, 1892. Serial No. 439.486. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. KING, a

l citizen of the United States, residing at Jesup,

- reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to wagon derricks or cranes, and more particularly to that class which are used for loading and unloading corn-fodder in the shock without untying it, and it has for its object to produce such a device as can be cheaply and substantially made and applied to any ordinary wagon, or bed, and which can be secured thereto or detached therefrom easily and quickly, and it consists in the improved construction and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in each of the views, Fig' vertical section, and Fig. 4 is a detail view.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates a rack for a wagon which may be of any ordi-nary construction.

2 is a board firmly secured to the bottom thereof about midway of its length.

3, 3, are the posts or uprights which are secured to the board and also to the cross-piece 4 of the rack, and which project above the rack any desired distance.

5 is the standard or main post of the crane which is provided with a journal or gudgeon 6 at its lower end which fits in a hole 7 in the board 2 and is provided with the gib or crosspiece S at the top and the brace 9 for supporting the outer'end of the gib.

Two blocks or cross-pieces 10 and 1l at the top of the posts 3, engage with the standard 5 and hold it in a vertical position. Ip-refer to locate these two blocks one above the other,

that is, one of them, as 10, at the top and the other 011e, as 11, a little below the top, so that in driving into a barn or other place that would be too low for the passage of the crane, the lower end of the standard can be lifted out of the hole in the board at the bottom of the rack and the crane can be laid down in a horizontal position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. By locating them, one above'the other, they also assist in bracing the posts against lateral movement when the strain comes upon the crane in lifting the load at the side of the rack. I prefer to make the standard about ten feet long although it can be made higher `or lower, and the posts, 3, 3, may be about four feet high or sufliciently to properly brace the standard in its upright position.

' The posts 3, 3, are firmly secured to the board 2 in any suitable manner, as for instance by means of bolts or by mortise and tenon, and may likewise be secured to the cross-piece 4 by bolts passing through them or by means of a stirrup or clamp fitting over the cross-piece, so that they can be easily moved from the rack when it is not desired to use the crane or derrick.

By locating the blocks and posts as above described, a very substantial construction is secured and also a very convenient one, as by placing the blocks one above the other and upon opposite sides of the posts they assist very materially in bracing the posts against lateral movement when the strain comes upon them from either side and they also serve for supports for the gib of the crane when it is in its vertical position, and one of them also forms a support for it when it is laid in a horizontal position for driving into a barn or under a shed or cover which is too low to permit of the passage of the crane in its vertical lof two bars 18 and 19 which are secured parallel with each other by means ofthe cross- ICO pieces `2O and 2l. The inner end of each of the side pieces of this frame is notched and fits upon a cross-piece 22 secured to the bottom of the rack. The cross-piece 2O of the frame is secured to the under side of the bars just a slight distance from the ends,so that when the frame is placed between the crosspieces 23 and 24: at the end of the rack, the cros`s-piece 2O will engage with the cross-piece 24 of the rack, and prevent the outward movement of the frame. A button 25 is secured to the cross-piece 23 just above one of the side pieces of the frame, which as soon as the frame is in place, is turned down and en-` gages with the side piece and prevents the upward movement of the frame. When itis desired to remove the frame from the rack, the button is turned to one side whiehwill permit of the frame being lifted until the cross-piece 20 will pass u p over the cross-piece 24 and the rack can be drawn out between the two cross-pieces 23 and 24.

I prefer to place the frame slightly at an angleto the rack, so that it will not interfere with the ladder 26 at the end of the rack. To do this, the end of one of the bars of the frame is notched a trifie deeper than the other, and a pin or bolt 27 is passed down through the cross-piece at the bottom of the rack. This construction also permits of one of the side bars of the frame resting against one of the main pieces of the rack, and the other piece resting against and being secured by the ladder, thus making a very secure at` tachment for preventing the lateral move,` ment of the rack when being operated. l

In operation, the uprights 3, are-secured inl place in the rack, and the crane is then placedl between them with its standardresting in4 thel notches upon the facing sides `of the blocks l0 and 1l. The frame is inserted at the end of the rack, and the rope passed over the pulleys with one end secured to the windlass or roller, and the other end is passed down from the longer end of the gib. In handling lighterl loads the rope may be 'used single, but for heavier loads, I prefer to use a double rope, thatis, the rope is passed down over the pnlley and passed through a sheave or loose pnl-1 ley and back up to the end of the gibandj` there secured. The hook for lifting the load is secured to the loose pulley of the rope, and consequently a greater purchase can be had upon the load than with a single rope.

It is evident that my invention may be used for loading stone, barrels or material, or other heavy articles. In using it for the lighter1 loads, as for hauling fodder, it is only neces` sary to tie the rack to the bolster of the wagon,

to prevent the rack from tilting over when the load is being lifted up at one side of the rack,I but in lifting heavier loads, it is preferable to use a brace 28 which maybe pivotallysecured `to the under side of one of the side pieces of the rack, or to one of the cross-pieces, and the other end may be carried by a stirrup 29, so that when not in use it can be hooked up un` derneath the side board of the rack out of the way.- But `when it is to be used, the stirrup is slipped over the free end of the brace which is then allowed to swing down and rest upon the ground. It will be seen that when the gib of the crane is swung out over that side of the rack, and the load is being lifted, the'extra weight of the load will be taken up and supported by this brace, and the rack will be prevented from being tilted over to that side. By locating the crane substantially midway of the rack, it will be seen that the load can be taken on or ed of each end of the rack, and as the gib will extend over each side of the rack, the load can be taken on or removed from either side of the rack. As one of the pulleys in thegib is to the rear of the post or standard, the rope willpass freely over that pulley and the one at the bottom of the rack, even if the derrick is swung around from one endrof the rack tothe other, as the location of the upper pulley will prevent the rope from rubbing against the post or other part of the device to any great extent.

It is evident that my improved crane `and lwindlass can be entirely made of metal, or it may be made of wood and properlyseeured to the bed by any ordinary mechanic' and at a very tritling cost. The device is very light and can be easily and quicklyV applied to or taken from the bed, and will occupy but little space when stored away.

As above described the man `at the windlass can lift a veryheavylload'by means'of the leverage which is secured by themechanism shown and described, but if it is desired, the frame at the end of the rack can be removed, and a horse hitched `to the end oflthe rope and thus the load be lifted on to the rack very quickly and easily. I prefer to locate the frame at the rear ofthe rack, so as to be entirely out of the way of the team at the front of the wagon, and also permit ofthewindlass being operated by an assistant at the rear end of the wagon, or of a horse being hitched to the rope and driven away from the rack.

Having thus described my invention, I claim l. The combination with a bed or rack of a wagon, of aboard secured theretosubstantially mid-way of its length, two posts secured to the board, and adapted tobe secured to the rack, two blocks secured to the upper portion of the posts, upon opposite-sides thereof, and one above the other, the facing sides of said blocks being each provided with a notch, a crane between the blocks at the upper por tion of the posts, `and pivotally and detachably secured at its lower end in the board at the bottom of the rack, and a windlass at one end of the rack, substantially 4as set forth.

2. The combination lwith the bed or rack of a wagon, of a crane detachably secured there to substantially midway of its length, a cross piece secured to the main `rails ofthe bed, near one end, a frame projecting through the end of the bed, the inner ends of the side IOO pieces of which are eaeh`s1otted and fit upon the cross piece, and the outer ends'of said side pieces are provided with cross pieces, and a windlass journaled in the outer end of said pieces, substantially as set forth.

3. An apparatus comprising a bed or rack of a wagon, of a crane detachably secured thereto substantially midway of its length, a cross piece near one end of the rack, two cross pieces at the end of the rack, the upper one of which is provided with a button, a frame, the inner ends of the side pieoesof which are each slotted and fit upon the firstmentioned cross piece, a cross pieoe adjacent Acosaid slotted ends, and adapted to engage 15 CHARLES H. KING.

Witnesses:

AG. O. MARSH,

WM. NEWTON. 

